"One morn, no sunrise comes. There is only darkness, and an icy chill." Cast out from their heavenly domain, the gods of the Forgotten Realms wander the land as mortals. They seek the lost Tablets of Fate, key to their return. A band of adventurers are hired by a young apprentice to rescue her sorceress-mentor, little do they realize the size of the stakes they will soon be playing for. Caught up in a power struggle that will determine the fate of the Realms themselves, the first step is to find the only mortal who may know what's going on - the legendary sage Elminster. Shadowdale is the first of a trilogy of modules that describe the strife called by some "the Godswar," in The Forgotten Realms. TSR 9247
This AD&D scenario is designed to be a humorous departure from regular adventuring. The "heroes" are a fellowship of monsters on a quest to recover a magical item for an orc chieftain whom they have displeased. Having lost the map given to them, they must gain entry to a frontier outpost - probably by sneaking through sewers - and recover the map from a locked safe in the commanders quarters. Once they again have the map, the monsters must travel overland to an abandoned elven witches' temple on the shore of a mountain lake, where they will find the object of their quest. Pgs. 23-32
In this level 1-5 adventure for 3-5 players the party is tasked with the rpg standard mission a.k.a. catching rats in a cellar, only in this case they are not rats but guinea pigs. However this is all a big ruse to get some test subjects together, because the mage who gave them the job actually wants to start a gameshow. People from around the world can compete here for prizes in front of a live audience. However the games will have to be tested and that's where your brave adventurers come in. This adventure contains 10 different puzzles, 10 different rewards and tips on how to adjust the encounters for players of higher and lower levels than the recommended level of 3.
The Thieves Guild Ebonclad has welcomed its newest team to the fold, assigned to the Keeper Reese Kincaid for instruction. The recruits are green, but capable. Their Keeper has devised a job for them to assess their talents. If his new team is successful, he gets some insight as to how his new Scraps operate, in addition to scratching something off his to-do list. If they die trying, well, then Reese has one fewer thing to worry about. The party must track down the slum thief Dale E’ssio, and reclaim valuables marked for the guild. Should anything unfortunate happen to Dale, there must be no evidence tracing things back to Ebonclad. The mission will require the party to enter Kintalla’s sewers to ultimately confront Dale E’ssio in a ruined slum house. Characters may have to explore the city while trying to get a lead on him.
The party is caught between warring goblin and kobold gangs, occupying an abandoned dwarven mine. Will the heroes ally with one of the sides in this quarrel, try to make peace between old enemies, attempt to eliminate both sides, or achieve their goal stealthily and unnoticed? The choice is completely theirs! Small Party Adventure: Though the party size of 3–5 characters is considered optimal in D&D, there are times when you can only gather one or two players at most. This adventure is designed exactly for such occasions.
The end of the road. A lonely fort stands on the banks of a mighty river. It is here the hardy bands of adventurers gather to plan their conquests of The Hill, the hulking mass that looms over this tiny settlement. The Hill is filled with monsters, they say, and an evil witch makes her home there. Still, no visitor to The Hill has ever returned to prove the rumors are true or false. The thrill of discovery is too great to pass up, and only the river stands in the way. The adventurer's boat is waiting! This module is designed for use with the D&D Basic Rules. A trip through the wilderness begins a unique challenge for the novice player and Dungeon Master. TSR 9078
"A great cat sits upon the northern grasslands, my friend, waiting to pounce on adventurers just like you." As you part the tall grass with your sword, the words of the tavernkeeper echo in your head. "He was the mightiest wizard we'd ever known, and that Lion Castle was his home." Your friends' voices mingle with the tavernkeeper's. "He's but a ghost now, haunting those halls, and waiting for an heir." The ground rises slightly. A strong wind rushes through the field. Suddenly, the grasses part, and Lion Castle rises majestically before you! "Magical riches await those who enter!" "Beware of man-beasts!" Voices flood your head again. Will you brave the haunted castle? Can you afford not to? It's all up to you in this D&D Solo Adventure. Ghost of Lion Castle is for one player only, but that one player makes all of the choices and enjoys all of the rewards. An entire castle and courtyard await your exploration. The adventure also includes a complete solo combat system. TSR 9097
A hunt for a missing key leads the heroes from the streets of the city of Greyhawk to the Tomb of Blood Everflowing in the treacherous Cairn Hills. Pgs. 18-20, 22 & 24-39
A short adventuring interlude focusing more on encountering something unusual, rather than fighting anything. The PCs come across a tree and a pool inhabited by elves. The nearby brook fizzes with "energy gas" that grants a temporary HP boost. The players can explore, but there are no real "answers" just a weird thing they found on the way from somewhere to somewhere else. Rated for between 1 and 4 characters, this could easily be run for solo play, but it is short and a little weird. There are roleplaying opportunities with the elves, but there's scant data here, the elves are flighty and capricious. Pgs. 38-41
Greed blinds the eyes of contentment Dwarf miners discovered a precious stone deposit. Unfortunately, their greed led them to dig tunnels too deep. Upon breaching the walls of an unholy temple, the miners unleashed a bizarre creature that decimated them all. 'They Dug Too Deep' is a system-agnostic one-page dungeon about exploring an abandoned and mysterious dwarven mine. As characters delve into the site, they'll uncover that not everything is as it seems – a sealed entrance from the inside, the corpses of dwarves scattered around, strange messages on the walls... Play to discover what really happened! 2023 Winners' Circle One-page Dungeon! 'They Dug Too Deep' was awarded as one of the top 10 one-page dungeons in the 2023 One Page Dungeon Contest! To celebrate, we offer you some extra stuff to enhance your play experience. There is more underground than just precious stones... What you'll find here: A complete 18-room one-page dungeon with easy preparation. A GM's Pamphlet containing tips on how to run the adventure and compiling the most relevant information. 4 character sheets using the Vagari RPG rules system. 5 custom tokens for use in your favorite VTT. Mini-hexcrawl map (NEW!)
"More than five hundred years ago, clans of dwarves and gnomes made an agreement known as the Phandelver’s Pact, by which they would share a rich mine in a wondrous cavern known as Wave Echo Cave. In addition to its mineral wealth, the mine contained great magical power. Human spellcasters allied themselves with the dwarves and gnomes to channel and bind that energy into a great forge (called the Forge of Spells), where magic items could be crafted. Times were good, and the nearby human town of Phandalin (pronounced fan-duh-lin) prospered as well. But then disaster struck when orcs swept through the North and laid waste to all in their path. A powerful force of orcs reinforced by evil mercenary wizards attacked wave echo cave to seize its riches and magic treasures. Human wizards fought alongside their dwarf and gnome allies to defend the Forge of Spells, and the ensuing spell battle destroyed much of the cavern. Few survived the cave-ins and tremors, and the location of Wave Echo Cave was lost. For centuries, rumours of buried riches have attracted treasure seekers and opportunists to the area around Phandalin, but no one has ever succeeded in locating the lost mine. In recent years, people have resettled the area. Phandalin is now a rough-and-tumble frontier town. More important, the Rockseeker brothers - a trio of dwarves - have discovered the entrance to Wave Echo Cave, and they intend to reopen the mines. Unfortunately for the Rockseekers, they are not the only ones interested in Wave Echo Cave. A mysterious villain known as the Black Spider controls a network of bandit gangs and goblin tribes in the area, and his agents have followed the Rockseekers to their prize. Now the Black Spider wants Wave Echo Cave for himself, and he is taking steps to make sure no one else knows where it is." Extra Info from AL.com users: by @marcellarius. "There are a variety of locations in this adventure: the town of Phandalin, a gang hideout, a ruined keep in the forest, a destroyed village, and Wave Echo Cave (a dungeon crawl). The adventure is written in a sandbox style and relies on the players to choose their path. Phandalin offers several side-quests which could serve as hooks for continuing adventures. The premade characters have ties in their backgrounds to NPCs and locations. If you're not using these you'll need to consider other ways to introduce key NPCs."
The day has been long and hard and, as night falls, you gratefully surrender to the soft, silent blackness of well-earned sleep. Then the dream comes. You are seated on a throne in a cavern where the sun has never shone; where no voice has ever spoken. Yet you are not alone. Through the darkness, silent figures are moving. Blacker than black... formless yet menacing... advancing towards you from every side... You fell their touch; icy claws plucking at your skin and hair, lifting the throne and carrying you helpless on a journey from darkness into further darkness, from silence into deeper silence. You scream, and a million anguished, reedy voices answer your call. Suddenly you awake... ... and the dream is real. A module printed exclusively in the United Kingdom by TSR UK. Using the 1986 National Garden Festival as its theme, this module was sold both at that festival, and at the 1986 Games Day RPG convention at the Royal Horticultural Society Hall in London (hosted by Games Workshop that Saturday, September 27th). It was briefly mentioned in White Dwarf magazine 82, page 49.
The characters have escaped the maze only to find themselves in strange dimensions of fire, stone and ice, and a strange idyllic hunting ground where all is not as it appears.
When Harrowstone Prison burned to the ground, prisoners, guards, and a host of vicious madmen met a terrifying end. In the years since, the nearby town of Ravengro has shunned the fire-scarred ruins, telling tales of unquiet spirits that wander abandoned cellblocks. But when a mysterious evil disturbs Harrowstone’s tenuous spiritual balance, a ghostly prison riot commences that threatens to consume the nearby village in madness and flames. Can the adventurers discover the secrets of Harrowstone and quell a rebellion of the dead? Or will they be the spirit-prison’s next inmates?
The Licktoads, once the great and fierce goblin tribe in Brinestump Marsh, were defeated by human adventurers! All that remains of the tribe are its four goblin "heroes". Homeless and bored, they left their swampy homeland to join the neighboring goblin tribe, the Birdcrunchers. The good news is that the Birdcrunchers are willing to let the goblin heroes join their tribe. The better news is that the Birdcrunchers have heard of these four, and want one of them to become their new chieftain. The bad news is that before the goblins can join, they'll need to endure a series of dangerous and humiliating tests. Very dangerous. Very humiliating. The worse news is that lately Birdcruncher chieftains have had really short lifespans—they're being killed by the pet fire-breathing boar of a local ogre who wants the Birdcruncher land as his own. Part 2 of the We Be Goblins series.
Yesterday, young Tobias went to investigate an old tomb by himself. Everyone told him it was a bad idea. Everyone was right. Today, you and your companions awaken to a town in chaos. Why is the temple sealed behind a divine shield? Why are children and worshippers trapped within? How do we get inside? What did Tobias do?! Ragged Hollow is a full-service starting town, full of classic creatures and challenges all updated and brought together for newbies and nostalgia-lovers alike. There are goblins and witches in the woods, a house full of traps, a basement of vermin, kobolds in a cave, bandits on the road, riddling ravens, a 50-room temple dungeon, nursery-rhyme monsters, living nightmares, Lovecraftian horrors, and tons of unique items to find. This is a mystery with lots of relevant side-quests around the town. The heroes can investigate the situation, get into the temple, save the innocents, and stop the monsters. And get some loot! ADVENTURE TYPE: Medium Dungeon / Town / Wilderness Adventure DESIGN NOTES This adventure is intended for characters levels 1 to 4. It includes several wilderness areas (forest, hills, mountain), a bustling town, several local mini-dungeons, and one 50-room temple dungeon. Each area contains various encounters and unique items. There are many opportunities for combat, but it is possible for players to explore most areas and complete many interactions without any combat at all, depending on their choices. INCLUDES: Story hooks, dialogue prompts, random encounters, stat blocks, original creatures and treasures, and maps. KEYWORDS: town, village, forest, goblins, goblin market, witches, hags, hills, bandits, ogres, mountain, kobolds, caves, dwarves, temple, clerics, nightmares, demons, riddles, traps, ghosts, fairy tales, Lovecraft, mutant
The final fate of Roslof Keep and the Company of the Ivory Scimitar hangs in the balance. With five levels conquered, the party must finally face the ultimate challenge of the sixth and final floor. Can the stalward adventures overcome the last defense of the Infernal Machine? Will Roslof Keep be freed from the violet corruption? What unforeseen plot twists still await those willing to brave the challenges presented in The Realms of Madness and Despair? This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules. Also available in PDF.
*THIS IS A D&D NEXT/5E PLAYTEST ADVENTURE* Imani, a Turmishan wizard and former adventurer, seeks the aid of heroes to infiltrate Dretchroyaster’s lair and recover the Diamond Staff of Chomylla—the key to powerful magic and wisdom locked away for thousands of years. In addition to his own sagely interest in the lore of lost Uvaeren, Imani recognizes the dangers of such powerful magic falling into evil hands. The dracolich has secured the staff in his lair’s cen- tral chamber, using ancient wards of protection that can be bypassed only by four artifact-idols once belong- ing to a cult of Bhaal. Each group of adventurers enters the dungeon through a different section of the dun- geon—a forgotten temple of Bhaal, a vast underground lake, a troglodyte village, or Dretchroyaster’s vaults. Dretchroyaster’s lair is no simple set of caverns and ancient ruins. It sits atop a source of great power and energy, which the dracolich and his Cult of the Dragon allies hope to use to unlock the secrets of the staff. Only by undertaking a unified assault against Dretchroyas- ter’s lair can the adventurers hope to recover the Diamond Staff and survive the dracolich’s fury. The adventurers must make their way through the lair and recover the Bhaalite idols that will help unlock the Diamond Staff, all the while dealing with the lair’s creatures and avoiding the dracolich as he pur- sues intruders. Entering the Chamber of the Diamond Staff, the heroes must overcome its magical wards and claim the staff before being slain by the dracolich and his servants.
Listen up! You're in my dungeon now, Morty! On Earth C-141, I'm a LEGENDARY D&D adventure writer! When people think of impossibly difficult dungeons or winding, labyrinthine maps, those things ain't Gygaxian - they're SANCHEZIAN! I do whatever I want over there, and they eat it up! I'm a celebrity Dungeon Master there, too! My livestreamed show, Cynical Troll, gets a billion views a day! It seemed a little selfish to contain all that GREATNESS to a single dimension, so I lifted one of the all-time favorite Sanchezian adventures and snuck it back here to dimension C-132. (Usually that kind of s**t is frowned upon, but it's just a D&D adventure. We're not exactly violating the Prime Directive or whatever.) This is a good old-fashioned dungeon crawl for a party of 1st-level adventurers, whose character sheets in this box should also contain. They'll probably reach 3rd level by the end of it. So here it is. This adventure brought peace to a warring galaxy. What did you ever do? Oh, you picked up this adventure? Good start. And awaaaay we go!
The battles of the Blood War have raged for longer than mortals have known life, the conflict's savagery and hatred fueling the dreams, desires and obsessions of the multiverse. One way or another, the war spills through all the layers of existence, and little escapes its influence. Some clashes have consequences that shake the Lower Planes. Others are far less meaningful - they're fought solely for the sake of violence and killing. "The Field of Nettles" is set in the aftermath of an especially pointless battle. The adventure rips the player characters from their comfortable lives and thrusts them into the Blood War full force. The goal is to cross one of the more infamous battlefields, seeing the scope and the power of the fighting - and hopefully coming away with a greater understanding of just how big the Blood War is. The adventure is designed for a party of 4-6 PCs of 5th-8th level. The characters don't get to save the multiverse, nor do they find the key to unlock the dark of any great secrets. But they might come to realize their importance (or lack of it) in the scheme of things. On the fickle borders of the planes, that can be worth almost as much.